I’ve always been inspired by surfing and skateboarding. I first took interest in them when I was very young — probably around just 8 or 10-years old — doodling random surf or skate logos on my binders. Then after 8th grade, I started pushing myself to experiment more and more with my art, taking art classes over the years.
I always took advantage of going to the beach whenever I could, living so close to it. Street art and graffiti inspired me a lot growing up too. It made me look at things in a completely different way and experiment more often. After years of experimentation with so many mediums, in 2012 or so, I started to draw more. I traveled to Nicaragua and did some work for Vissla and Jaks Garage in Japan, sharing a ton of my work on social media. More and more people started hitting me up for commissioned branding work and apparel designs, and now I’ve gathered a steady flow of freelance work for myself, grateful to be doing what I enjoy with the freedom to do whatever I choose artistically. The more I create, the more psyched people seem to get, which in turn keeps inspiring me even more.
Lately, I’ve been making a lot of collages and drawing, experimenting with even more new ideas — random things that come to mind in the late hours of the night, rushing to jot them down on my phone so I don’t forget them by the time the morning comes.
Editor’s Note: You can find more of artist Sean Bernhardt’s work online as well as on Instagram. He also has a clothing line, Evil Paradise, featuring his artwork.
